Sad state of mourning

A minute's silence to mourn the death of IK Gujral, the son of the soil who went became prime minister, seemed enough to justify the 15-minute dance performance by Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar and Asin at the state-level gala opening of the world kabaddi tournament in Bathinda, the state's political capital virtually.

Presided over by chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy Sukhbir Singh Badal, who on Friday termed Gujral's demise "a personal loss" to them, the show got off to a grand start and continued for one-and-a-half hours, witnessing fireworks as well.

The jubilant crowd at the jam-packed Bathinda stadium danced to the tunes of Punjab folk and pop numbers, cheering artistes, including Satinder Satti and Miss Pooja, as they performed. All this a day after the government announced a seven-day state mourning.

A battery of politicians, who would be paying glowing tributes to Gujral in the forthcoming assembly session, also graced Saturday's extravaganza, which had been curtailed from three hours to 90 minutes.